Fulani herdsmen have no grudges against South-East, says Miyetti Allah
Fulani herdsmen operating in the South-East zone said that they have no grudges against any state in the zone, let alone plotting any form of attack on the area.
They said that their main reason for being in the South-East zone is to seek greener pasture where they can feed their cattle, and not to cause problem in the area.
Addressing members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), South-East zone during a meeting held yesterday in Enugu, the chairman of the association in the zone, Alhaji Gidado Sadiqu, said that the members were conscious of “the negative information being spread in the country’s seemingly volatile political space to the extent that Fulani herdsmen are planning to attack Anambra and Enugu states,” urging the public to disregard it as it is just rumour.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the association from the five South-East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
“Fulani herdsmen have no grudges with the aforementioned states. We are in the South-east to look for greener pastures to feed our cattle. We are not here to terrorise anyone but we’re scared of people coming under the guise of Fulani herdsmen to unleash terror on our hosts,” Sadiqu said.
He advised members of the association to be watchful and quickly report strange faces around them to concerned authorities, just as he urged the public to remain vigilant and not to allow anyone to destroy the peaceful co-existence we are enjoying.
Sadiqu warned the members to be very careful with farmers’ crops, insisting that “when they are migrating from one state to the other, they should inform the states’ leaders where they are passing through.”
He said the MACBAN leadership has initiated measures to lessen herdsmen/farmers’ clashes across the borders of all the South-eastern states.
The association expressed gratitude to the governors of the zone, especially those of Enugu and Anambra states for their support and determination in ensuring peaceful co-existence between the farmers and herdsmen.